After months and months of asking Union City Mayor and State Senator Brian Stack to hold a public meeting about his plans for building a multipurpose field in Park No. 3 in Washington Park, the meeting was held (with only a few days notice) on Tuesday, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m. at the start of the Jewish Day of Atonement on the corner of Webster and North streets. It was so dark that presenters used a flashlight when referring to plans and so poorly thought out that all of the posters blew down in the middle of the meeting. (Should their planning of the meeting be taken as a harbinger of their planning of this project, we are in trouble.) This setup was insulting to the residents of Jersey City who wanted an opportunity to learn about the plans and share their concerns.

The multipurpose field is proposed for the area of Washington Park known as Park 3 (bordered by Palisade Avenue, Paterson Plank Road, and 2nd Street). Despite the fact that Washington Park is a county park, Park 3 is leased to Union City for its residents for $1 per year.

To accommodate the size of the field, dozens of old growth trees that provide a beautiful canopy along Paterson Plank Road and 2nd St will have to be removed.

Riverview Neighborhood Association members are not against a multipurpose field, but ask for it to be scaled down in order to maintain these trees and that it be available for use by all Hudson County residents. By preserving the green space in our parks, we are giving our children the opportunity to experience and learn about nature and the environment. Green space in our area is a precious commodity and the destruction of it should not be taken lightly. We must protect this space for our children and for future generations.

The Washington Park Association of Hudson County, Inc. has been addressing other concerns with Mayor Stack in regards to landscaping, lighting, bathroom facilities, ADA accessibility, parking and noise and light pollution, and we support them in their continued efforts. We ask Mayor Stack (our State Senator) to work with all concerned Jersey City and Union City residents to address our legitimate issues. By working together we can all improve our community.